---
title: "Volkswagen Will Not Be Fined for Dieselgate in Germany"
description: "Germany's criminal investigation into VW continues, however."
date: "2016-07-07"
modified: "2021-05-18"
authors:
  - name: "Aaron Brown"
    job_title: "Staff Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/aaron-brown"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/4308/volkswagen-will-not-be-fined-for-dieselgate-in-germany"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Germany"
  - "Volkswagen"
---

# Volkswagen Will Not Be Fined for Dieselgate in Germany

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/070716-vw-germany-fines-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

German Volkswagen owners are less than pleased to hear [VW will not pay any fines in Germany](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-06/vw-escapes-cheating-fines-in-germany-as-payout-pressure-mounts>) following the multi-year emissions cheating scandal commonly known as Dieselgate. In the United States, VW is set to dish out [a settlement of $14.7 billion](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/4181/volkswagen-to-pay-15-billion-in-u-s-diesel-emissions-agreement>).

*Bloomberg* reports [VW Group CEO Matthias Mueller](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/418/drive-wire-volkswagen-ceo-warns-of-painful-recovery>) has declined to compensate European owners with cold hard cash, as doing so would pretty much suck the massive company's pockets dry. The German transport ministry is not expected to push for Volkswagen to deliver any payouts, either. Instead, European officials are hoping VW will issue a recall that brings all of the affected Dieselgate vehicles into compliance, thus settling any issues with customers.

“We now have a situation in which Volkswagen is required to return the cars to a legally compliant condition,” German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt said. “That is what is appropriate to remedy the damage that’s been done.”

Such a mechanical-based recall would likely be less work and less expenditure for VW in Europe than similar repair efforts will cost the company in the United States, as Europe has less severe emissions standards.

As *Bloomberg* notes, if VW were forced to pay back every one of its German owners, the company would likely need to do the same for all 8.5 million of its ruined cars throughout Europe. That's 17 times as many cars as the automaker has to deal with in America. Still, the German government has been seriously criticized for its stance on the issues, with complaints being registered by [popular German newspapers](<https://www.bild.de/bild-plus/geld/wirtschaft/volkswagen/sind-deutsche-kunden-nur-zweite-klasse-46660872,var=a,view=conversionToLogin.bild.html>) and [opposition politicians](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-06/vw-escapes-cheating-fines-in-germany-as-payout-pressure-mounts>) alike.

Germany's criminal investigation into the Dieselgate scandal is still ongoing.

## Author
Aaron was previously a contributing writer with Jalopnik and has also written for Business Insider covering cars. When he's not in the office writing the news, you'll probably find him thrashing a beater car around a RallyCross.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/aaronmaxb>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/aaronmaxb>)